


Ragnar Lothbrok's Foster Son

by Brunhild



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Gen, Punishment and Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 20:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3582651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brunhild/pseuds/Brunhild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story describes how Ragnar came to be Edward's foster father after Princess Judith's and Athelstan's deaths. This story is very sad because it describes the planned deaths of Princess Judith and Athelstan for the crime of adultery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ragnar Lothbrok's Foster Son

The sky was cold and gray. The frigid air was filled with sadness as the two prisoners were led out into the village square. The once beloved Princess Judith and the disgraced monk Athelstan stood before the angry crowd. The guards led both prisoners to the executioner and announced their crime and subsequent punishment. Princess Judith and Athelstan had done the unthinkable. They had slept with one another. This act had made Princess Judith an adulteress and Athelstan an apostate--a holy man that had forsaken his vows and had renounced the teachings of the church. Princess Judith had further disgraced her position as a princess by sleeping with a lowly priest and she had also given birth to his child as well. The child was called "The Bastard Son of the Priest," by Prince Athelwulf. Despite her transgressions against him, Prince Athelwulf had forgiven Princess Judith. He partly blamed himself for her misbehavior. He reasoned that he should have been home with her more instead of fighting, partying and having numerous affairs with different women over the past two years. King Ecbert was not happy about Princess Judith's actions. He had her and Athelstan brought before the church and tried by the church leaders. He secretly recommended that she be executed. King Ecbert had his own reasons for hating Judith. He had tried on several occasions to lure Judith into his bed. She refused him and threatened to tell Athelwulf of his actions. Ecbert hated Judith from that point on. Ecbert wanted to ensure Judith's demise, so he made a sizable contribution of gold to the church coffers just days before Judith's and Athelstan's trial. This donation no doubt influenced their decision. the verdict of death was pronounced on both Princess Judith and Athelstan at the same time. They would both be executed in ten day's time.

King Aella was notified of this decision by a messenger from the church in Wessex. King Ecbert had sent him a carefully worded note detailing the circumstances which had lead to Judith's plight. King Aella was saddened by his daughter's circumstances but he reasoned that she had brought this on her self with her own foolish behavior. He would make no attempt to save his daughter's life. King Aella also refused to take Judith's baby and had sent word back to King Ecbert that the child be killed thus leaving no room for any illegitimate heirs to either throne. Her mother however traveled to Wessex to intervene on her daughter's behalf but to no avail. Ragnar and Lagertha tried appealing to the church on Athelstan's behalf but had no success swaying the judges. Athelstan met with Ragnar and told him that he had accepted his fate. He also thanked him for taking him into his family so many years before. Ragnar thanked Athelstan for helping him discovered so much during their time together. He apologized to Athelstan for not being able to help him now. Athelstan assured Ragnar that he understood. He did have a favor to ask him however. Queen Edith, Princess Judith's mother had told him in secret that he and Judith's child Edward was to be killed the night of the executions of Princess Judith and himself. Athelstan requested that if at all possible could Ragnar secretly take the child out of Wessex and raise him in Kattegat. The baby was now with Queen Edith who took care of him with the help of a local girl who had recently had a baby. The girl Ava had met and married a man from King Horik's camp. The two of them planned to travel back with Ragnar's men when her baby was older. Ragnar told Athelstan that he would stay until the day of his execution but he would not be there because he had to devise a plan to take the baby while everyone attended the execution. He met with Queen Edith and told her of his plan. She was sad about the baby being taken away but agreed it was best for him. Ragnar went back to his encampment and told Lagertha of his plan. She agreed to help him any way she could.

On the day of the execution, Ragnar bribed a guard and met secretly with Princess Judith and told her of his plan to take the baby back to the North. She tearfully agreed to the plan and thanked Ragnar. The baby was brought to her by her mother so that she could spend time with him and say goodbye. Athelstan had spent time with his son and said goodbye to him the night before. As Athelstan and Princess Judith were led to their executions, Queen Edith and two of her attendents took the child from King Ecbert's estate and into the nearly empty encampment once occupied by Ragnar and his men. With tears in her eyes, she gently handed the baby and his bags over to Lagertha. Queen Edith extracted a promise from Ragnar that he would always take care of Edward and see that no harm came to him. Ragnar told her that he would always look after Edward. Lagertha promised as well. Queen Edith leaned down to kiss the baby as the crowd cheered from afar. The executions were over, Judith and Athelstan were dead now. There would be no funeral for either. They would both be cremated and placed in unmarked graves. With tears in their eyes, the three of them, Ragnar, Lagertha and Queen Edith set off in two different directions. Ragnar and Lagertha headed to the sea shore where their ships were waiting, while Queen Edith, boarded her coach on her way back to Northumbria. 

Later on that night, King Ecbert went to look for the Judith's child, but did not find him. He searched the entire village and could not find the child. He suspected that the child may have been taken from the kingdom but by whom. Prince Athelwulf wondered about this too. This puzzled both men for many years until their untimely deaths on the battlefield years later. King Aella questioned his wife about the whereabouts of the child, she denied knowing where the baby was until she lay on her deathbed. She told her only son Egbert where his nephew had been taken. Egbert never disclosed this information to King Aella telling himself that the information was useless anyway since Edward was long gone and not a threat to anyone.

Ragnar fostered young Edward just as he had promised the boy's father Athelstan. He was taught how to fight like the rest of the young boys in his village. He also learned the customs and ways of the North. He was raised as a prince along side Bjorn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ivar. When Edward became a young man, Ragnar decided to tell Edward of his true origins. He told him of his family in England. He told the young man about his parents and what had happened to them. Young Edward vowed to take revenge on all of those who had taken part in his parent's death. 

Edward grew to be a strong and capable young warrior. He was trained by his brother Bjorn Ironside and also received training under his uncle Rollo the first, The Duke of Normandy. He and Rollo's son William spent time together between raids. Edward was well regarded by the Viking people. Ragnar and the young man were always close. Edward raided and fought at Ragnar's side many years. Edward eventually married and settled down with his family in a village near York in England. Bjorn and his family lived in York. One day while he and his brothers were visiting at his home, Edward received a message from one of King Aella's men. The messenger told the men of Ragnar's death at the hands of King Aelle.  
King Aelle had ordered Ragnar captured and brought to him. King Aella then had Ragnar thrown into a pit of snakes to be bitten to death. The messenger left quickly after he delivered his message. Ragnar's sons were furious. They cursed King Aella's name over and over again. They were so mad that they forgot to grieve Ragnar's death. Edward was the first to vow to avenge Ragnar's death. The brothers quickly devised a plan to avenge Ragnar's death. Within days they had enough men to travel to York and find King Aella. They marched into the city of York and seized King Aella in his encampment. All who tried to protect the king met with an untimely death. King Aella was immediately taken out into a field and pronounced a harsh judgment for the death of Ragnar Lothbrok. They declared that he would received the Blood Eagle, one of the harshest forms of punishment that could be delivered to a victim. King Aella was then surrounded by the sons of Ragnar. He pleaded for mercy but there was none to be had. Bjorn aching for revenge picked up his Dane Axe and got ready to strike the first blow. Edward told him to stop, he had something to say to King Aella first. Sigurd asked his brother what was the matter. King Aella looked at Edward. He looked nothing like the other boys, they had light blonde hair whereas this man had very dark wavy hair and was tall but not as tall as his brothers. Edward walked over to King Aella and looked him straight in the eyes and asked him, " Old man do you know who I am?" King Aella shook his head.  
"You mean to tell me that you don't know who I am?"  
"No."  
"Look at me," demanded Edward as he looked down at King Aella who was tied up at his feet.  
"You mean you don't know your own grandson, your own daughter Judith's son."  
"Judith only had one son, Alfred..."  
"No, she had two sons, one by her husband Athelwulf and the other by her lover, the priest Athelstan. I am that child."  
"That child--"started King Aella.  
"That child that you ordered killed as a baby was taken back to Kattegat and raised by Ragnar Lothbrok. He promised my father Athelstan that he would foster me until I became an adult. He told me that I could go back to England when I became a man but I chose stay with him and my family there. It seems that I was better off there than here. You King Aella didn't care about me or my mother. You let her and my father be killed by King Ecbert's orders. You did not try to intercede on their behalf so that their lives may have been spared. You could have taken me in but you ordered me killed so I wouldn't be a threat to you Ecbert's family in the future. You didn't even care about your own flesh and blood. I have waited many years for my revenge against you and today looks like the day I will finally get it. Coward! At least Athelwulf and King Ecbert died like men on the battlefield. You will die like a dog here in this open field disgraced like my mother and father! With that said, Edward turned and walked away as King Aella pleaded for his life.


End file.
